Adaptive Ride Damping for Rider-Weight Deceleration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing amusement and virtual reality ride systems lack the ability to customize deceleration and stopping based on individual rider weight, resulting in undesirable physical and sensory effects due to fixed resistance settings.
Innovation Solution
An automated damping system that includes a damping device providing variable resistance, a sensor to measure damping affecting properties, and a damping profile generator to calculate a customized damping profile based on the load's properties, ensuring tailored resistance values corresponding to displacement positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a linear spring or pneumatic system is set for maximum passenger load, then safe deceleration and stop are provided, but the deceleration and stop lacks realism and comfort for lighter loads
Solution Approach 1:
The damping system transitions from fixed resistance to dynamically adjustable resistance that adapts to different load weights. The system continuously measures the actual load and modifies the damping force in real-time, allowing the same physical system to safely and comfortably accommodate varying passenger weights from light to maximum capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the damping parameter (resistance force) based on the measured load weight. By adjusting the damping coefficient according to the actual passenger load, the system provides optimal deceleration characteristics for each weight scenario, eliminating the compromise required by fixed spring or pneumatic systems designed for maximum load.
2Device complexity
If fixed resistance settings are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but undesirable physical and sensory effects occur due to inability to customize for individual rider weight
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a feedback loop where a load cell measures the actual passenger weight, and this information is fed back to the control system. The controller then adjusts the damping force accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that automatically compensates for weight variations and eliminates harmful sensory effects without requiring complex manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping system performs self-adjustment based on the measured load. The system automatically determines the appropriate damping level for the current passenger weight without requiring external intervention or pre-programming, making the complexity management automatic and transparent to the users.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a customized damping and sensory experience by adjusting resistance dynamically, enhancing realism and comfort for riders by accommodating varying weights and motion profiles.
Implementation Method 1
a damping device (109) arranged and disposed to provide variable resistance to the load
Implementation Method 2
provide variable resistance to the mechanical arrangement, the variable resistance providing a resistance value
Data Source
AI summary
An automated damping system including a damping device arranged and disposed to provide variable resistance to a load. The variable resistance provides resistance values corresponding to a displacement position of the damping device. The system includes a damping profile generator that calculates a damping profile and a sensor is arranged and disposed to measure one or more damping affecting properties. The sensor provides the one or more damping affecting properties to the damping profile generator. The damping profile provides the variable resistance based upon the one or more damping affecting properties of the load.